Kia Motors formally starts operations in India
Kia Motors, the sister brand of Korean carmaker Hyundai, has ultimately taken the very first step to inject the Indian market. They have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Andhra Pradesh state government to build a fresh manufacturing facility in Anantapur District in the state.
The MOU was signed at a ceremony held in the city of Vijayawada, a part of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region, attended by executives from Kia Motors and the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
Construction of the fresh manufacturing plant will commence in the last quarter of two thousand seventeen and it is expected that production at the plant will begin in the 2nd half of 2019. The plant will have an annual production capacity of Trio,00,000 units.
Kia has not exposed as of yet the models it will sell in India but the brand plans to bring in a mass market model, a premium segment model and a model that will establish Kia in India. Kia will invest $1.1 billion in its manufacturing plant in India.
Have a look at the cars that Kia sells all around the world
The Cadenza is a premium sedan suggesting from Kia and comes with a Three.3-litre V6 petrol engine underneath its fetish mask. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends all the power to the front wheels.
The Forte is another compact car from Kia that is available only with a Two.0-litre engine in two different states of tune. In one state, the engine makes 147hp and in another state, the engine is tuned to make 160hp.
The K900 is Kia’s flagship sedan suggesting and it is powered by Trio.8-litre V8 underneath the rubber hood. All the power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. A Five.0-litre V8 model of the K900 also exists that offers 420hp of power.
The Niro is another crossover vehicle from Kia available with a 1.6-litre inline four-cylinder engine that makes 139hp. It has a parallel hybrid system with an electrified motor that is good for 43hp. The Niro is only available as a front-wheel drive layout.
The Optima is a sedan suggesting from Kia that is sold with a 1.6-litre, a Two.0-litre and a Two.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. The sedan is available as a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid model also
The Rio is a compact sedan from Kia that is available with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine that is good for making 138hp. All the horses are sent to the front wheels only via a six-speed manual gearbox and a six speed automatic gearbox.
The Sedona is a minivan from Kia is suggested with the Trio.3-litre V6 engine that is good for 276hp. All the power is sent to the front wheels only.
The Sorento is available with three engine options. One is a Two.4-litre naturally aspirated unit that produces 185hp. The other is a Trio.3-litre V6 unit that makes 290hp. The last option is a Two.0-litre turbocharged engine that makes 240hp and 290hp in two different states of tune.
The Soul is a crossover car from Kia with 1.6-litre and a Two.0-litre engine option. The 1.6-litre engine is also available in a turbocharged state. Power output of the naturally aspirated engine is 130hp, while Two.0-litre engine is good for 160hp. The turbocharged version of the 1.6-litre engine makes 201hp. In all models of the Soul, power is sent to the front wheels only. The Soul is available as an Electrified vehicle also.
The Sportage is another car under the crossover banner from Kia and its sports two engine options. One is a naturally aspirated Two.4-litre unit that is good for 181hp. Another engine option is the Two.0-litre turbocharged engine that is good for 240hp. Both engine options are available with front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options.